After lawmakers gave final approval to
the bill, which also legalizes adoption for gay couples, on April 23,
conservative UMP deputies challenged it on constitutional grounds,
referring it to the Council.

“The law allowing same-sex marriage
conforms with the constitution,” the council said in a statement.

Opponents have staged large
demonstrations throughout the debate and show no signs of stopping.
A demonstration in Paris is planned for Sunday, May 26, two days
before the law is now set to take effect.

Their boisterous demands for the
government to abandon its plans have been blamed for a spike in
homophobic acts, both physical and verbal.

“We expected opposition, but not to
that extent,” said Dominique Boren, vice president of the
Association of Gay and Lesbian Parents. “We've heard things about
homosexuals we hadn't heard in over 30 years.”